🔗 Share this article 'Paul was fun': Remembering snooker's departed star two decades on. The talented player won The Masters on three occasions during a compact but stellar career. Everything the Leeds-born talent ever wanted to do was practice the game. A sporting bug, sparked at the tender age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his parents' coffee table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six major trophies in six years. Now marks 20 years since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, just days before to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the passing of a generational talent that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on snooker and those who were close to him persist as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a billion years the boy would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter recalls. "Yet he just adored it." His dad recounts how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" except for snooker as a young boy. "He was relentless," he says. "He competed every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the age of three. After persistently asking his dad to take him to a community venue to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the leap from home play with great skill. His raw skill would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now former establishment in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: A Star is Born With his family's urging to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as practice took priority, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the fourteen years old to fully concentrate on building a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within a short period, their adolescent had won his maior professional trophy, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the involvement of exclusively the best, Hunter won a trio of times, in the early 2000s. 'A Cheeky Charm': A Legacy of Character But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never deserted him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's wife Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "witty, generous" and "always the last to leave the party". With his natural likability, youthful appearance and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the new 21st Century. No wonder then, that he was christened 'A Sporting Icon'. Facing Adversity: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have been the height of his career, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple stories from across the snooker circuit highlight the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while going through treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The World Championship arena when he played at the World Championships that year. When he died in the mid-2000s, snooker's close-knit fraternity lost one of its cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Foundation for the Future: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in palaces and castles but in local sports centers across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to youths all over the country. The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas fell sharply. "The goal was for a scheme to help provide a positive outlet," one official said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children all over the world. "It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated. Always Remembered: Two Decades On Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's marvellous!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she concludes. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be mentioned at all." Although he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's top honor is a part of the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, commences later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his successes, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is always remembered.
The talented player won The Masters on three occasions during a compact but stellar career. Everything the Leeds-born talent ever wanted to do was practice the game. A sporting bug, sparked at the tender age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his parents' coffee table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six major trophies in six years. Now marks 20 years since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, just days before to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the passing of a generational talent that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on snooker and those who were close to him persist as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a billion years the boy would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter recalls. "Yet he just adored it." His dad recounts how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" except for snooker as a young boy. "He was relentless," he says. "He competed every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the age of three. After persistently asking his dad to take him to a community venue to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the leap from home play with great skill. His raw skill would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now former establishment in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: A Star is Born With his family's urging to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as practice took priority, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the fourteen years old to fully concentrate on building a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within a short period, their adolescent had won his maior professional trophy, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the involvement of exclusively the best, Hunter won a trio of times, in the early 2000s. 'A Cheeky Charm': A Legacy of Character But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never deserted him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's wife Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "witty, generous" and "always the last to leave the party". With his natural likability, youthful appearance and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the new 21st Century. No wonder then, that he was christened 'A Sporting Icon'. Facing Adversity: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have been the height of his career, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple stories from across the snooker circuit highlight the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while going through treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The World Championship arena when he played at the World Championships that year. When he died in the mid-2000s, snooker's close-knit fraternity lost one of its cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Foundation for the Future: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in palaces and castles but in local sports centers across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to youths all over the country. The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas fell sharply. "The goal was for a scheme to help provide a positive outlet," one official said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children all over the world. "It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated. Always Remembered: Two Decades On Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's marvellous!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she concludes. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be mentioned at all." Although he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's top honor is a part of the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, commences later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his successes, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is always remembered.